Running in

[Vertigo]

Ok, with new car arriving soonish, it's time for the usual fun (not) that is running-in. Question is, do you bother with this any more?

The old school of thought was always to keep the revs and/or load on the engine low for the first 500-1000 miles before giving it some stick but I've read quite a few comments which claim this isn't necessary any more and can even be detrimental to the engine. Some claim that running-in isn't necessary with modern engines and that giving it a fair bit of stick from the outset can actually help the engine loosen up more.

Any thoughts?

 

[Vertigo]

http://www.mototuneusa.com/break_in_secrets.htm

Yeah I've read that before but I can understand why it's controversial as all manufacturers state you should take it easy to start with, a philosophy most on here seem to agree with.

I just want to do whatever's best for the engine in the long term really. If doing what that guy suggests is the best way then fine but it's just his word really. Who's to say what the ECUs on modern cars record these days? It's possible they could keep a permanent record of how the car was driven for the first 1000 miles and, if there were major problems later, they could look at this info and claim you didn't run it in properly? Paranoid maybe but I'm often amazed at the data modern cars record.

I suspect the service department of the dealer would be a good place to ask as most of the demo and loaner cars they have will be treated like crap from the outset and they'll know how much servicing and maintenance these needed later in life. Whether they'd divulge such information is another matter

 

[Vertigo]

Funny how everyone seems to be saying to take it easy but only for a few hundred miles, yet the link above suggests that the first 200 are the most critical and are when you should be caning it.

As for this "it's a company car so who gives a toss" attitude which seems prevalent, just because it's a company car doesn't mean I don't want to treat it with any respect. If treating it like crap from the off will result in major problems later then it's still hassle. I may not have to pay for any work that needs doing but I still don't want the grief of regular trips to the dealer and OTT oil consumption.

 

[Vertigo]

All the engines where I work get worked hard from the start. If they don't blowby is high, oil consumption is higher and they don't perform aswell.

So basically you'd agree with what the guy in the above link is saying - work it hard from the outset to properly seal the piston rings?

 

[Vertigo]

Well this is the thing. Virtually all manufacturers recommend taking it easy for 500-1000 miles yet there's a lot of advice saying to hammer it from the outset, as in the link provided above.

The question is, if hammering it is the best way to seal the piston rings and provide better power and lower oil consumption in the future then why do the manufacturers still specify the running in period? The guy in the above link doesn't seem to have a satisfactory answer to this.

 

[Vertigo]

Yeah but our engines are in ideal conditions and everything is controled. For joe blogs to jump in and rag it, it would be very different. Certainly not good for the manufacturer to reccomend hard driving as most people would end up doing it before to oil was up to temperature and would probable cause more problems

I see what you mean. I'm wondering whether the correct thing to do is to load the engine up a reasonable amount from the outset by giving it some hard bursts of throttle but at the same time to ensure that the engine is fully warmed through before doing this and also not rev it excessively high for a few hundred miles. Would you agree?

 

[Vertigo]

I just drove my Octy normal from 7 miles - Still alive 22k+

Normal for you is Warp Factor 5 for the rest of us Dave

 

[Vertigo]

HTH

It does indeed, ta very much. Basically warm it up fully then give it some between 2k and 3-3.5k rpm (redline is at 4.5k).

Next damn problem is that the car is being delivered by a driver from Milton Keynes which is going to put 70 miles on it in addition to whatever there is when it arrives there so by the time it arrives here it'll already have done getting on for 100 miles and I'll have lost the opportunity.

I'm sorely tempted to go down there on the train and fetch it.

 

[Vertigo]

I think I'm definitely going to follow the advice of the link above and also Simon as I think he knows what he's talking about when it comes to engines

The car is due to be delivered from MK next Tuesday but the lease company have said I'm fine to collect it if I prefer. I'm going to take the morning off and go down there and get it as I can then make sure I "run it in" the way I want to plus it means I can have a bit of a "play" before going into work in the afternoon rather than having to sit staring out the window at it all day before I can drive the thing

 

[Vertigo]

If I was you I'd follow the advice given in your manual, after all, that's the advice from the guy's who built the thing.

I think what the proponents of the "run it in hard" method are saying is that the manufacturers are simply playing it safe. If taking it easy for the first 500-1000 miles results in potentially increased engine life at the expense of more oil consumption and slightly lower BHP then that's a more than acceptable solution from their POV.

Another point to remember is that your new car will have four new tyres that need to be run in before they deliver their best grip, and new discs and new pads so the brakes won't be at top notch yet. Plus you won't yet know how your vehicle handles; so, regardless of any running in the engine requires, it's not a bad idea to take it easy for a while.

We're not talking about hooning it down country lanes or taking it round a track from the word go, simply putting some load on the engine in the first couple of hundred miles by simply "booting" it a few times in a straight line.